iPhone 12 Pro will pack triple camera lens array and LiDAR sensor

Are you excited about this year's iPhone 12 refresh? Photo: The Hacker 34

The iPhone 12 Pro could boast a revised camera array on the rear, complete with a LiDAR scanner like the one found on the 2020 iPad Pro, a new image posted online suggests.

The schematic image was posted on Twitter Saturday by leakster @Choco_bit, who has previously shared information about forthcoming Apple launches. The seemingly Apple-produced image reportedly comes from iOS 14, courtesy of the ConceptsiPhone Instagram.

Apple says that the LiDAR scanner which debuted in the 2020 iPad makes it “the world’s best device for augmented reality.” AR overlays computer-generated images onto the real world. A LiDAR scanner improves this ability by helping the device to work out exactly where real world objects are.

A LiDAR scanner would join the array of camera sensors seen on the new iPhone 12, including Wide Angle, Ultra Wide Angle, and Telephoto lenses. The feature has been rumored previously. However, if this picture is accurate, this is the first Apple-created look at the new design we’ve seen. It shows how the camera flash could move to the center of the camera array to house the LiDAR sensor.

It is not clear which of the new iPhone 12 models will include a LiDAR scanner. In keeping with Apple’s strategy in previous years, it seems likely that it will be a feature available only on the high-end iPhone 12 Pro and Pro Max. As usual, Apple will release multiple iPhone models this fall.

Right now, the biggest unknown about the new iPhone 12 is when Apple will debut it. One recent report suggested that the phones’ release were being pushed back due to the coronavirus pandemic. However, other reports have countered this. They claim the iPhone 12 series of devices will launch as normal this fall.

What are you hoping for from this year’s iPhone 12? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.